ParaView

How to: Remote Visualization using ParaView 5.4.1 OpenGL in parallel

ParaView is an open-source, multi-platform data analysis and visualization application. ParaView users can quickly build visualizations to analyze their data using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The data exploration can be done interactively in 3D or programmatically using ParaView's batch processing capabilities. This document contains three different methods to interact with ParaView 5.4.1, Client-Server Method, Client-Server Reverse Connection Method and X11 Forwarding.

ParaView was developed to analyze extremely large datasets using distributed memory computing resources. It can be run on supercomputers to analyze datasets of petascale size.

NOTE: Be sure that the paraview client installed on your machine is the same version that is installed on the CARC cluster you are using.

Client - Server Methods

The most common approach to use ParaView on Wheeler is through the Client-Server mode support by ParaView, which requires an installation of ParaView on your local machine. These is a two-step process, requesting a compute node via SSH and creating an SSH tunnel to Wheeler's service node.

Overview

In one terminal you will ask Wheeler to give you compute nodes where you will run the paraview server. Once the paraview server is listening for connections you will create an ssh tunnel in another terminal from your machine to one of the compute nodes you were assigned. Then you will tell the paraview client on your machine to connect to the tunnel and so to the compute nodes at CARC, where it will perform the rendering.

The following examples assume you are using the Wheeler cluster.

Terminal 1: SSH to Wheeler

Accessing Wheeler and requesting 2 nodes with 8 cores each.

ssh username@wheeler.alliance.unm.edu

qsub -I -l nodes=2:ppn=8

NOTE: Wait until wheeler assigns you two compute nodes.

Load ParaView Module

module load paraview-5.4.1-gcc-4.8.5-python2-impi-wulnuwu

Run ParaView PVServer on Compute Nodes

mpirun -n 16 pvserver --use-offscreen-rendering --server-port=11111

Terminal 2: SSH Tunnel to a Wheeler Compute node

From local machine to wheeler's compute node. Use the name of one of the compute nodes you were assigned by qsub above.

NOTE: To Verify, Client - Server setup, go to "View" and select "Memory Inspector". When you are finished make sure to end the interactive job on the compute nodes. You can do this with the qdel command on the cluster head node.

Client - Server Mode (Reverse Connection Method)

This process allows you to connect to wheeler service node, if you have firewall connectivity issues, this process requires to know your localhost IP address "local_host_IP".

NOTE: When you are finished make sure to end the interactive job on the compute nodes. You can do this with the qdel command on the cluster head node.

X Forwarding Method

Parallel Rendering implies that many processors have some context to render their pixels into. Even though X11 forwarding might be available, you should not run the client remotely and forward its X calls. ParaView will be far more efficient if you let it directly handle the data transfer between local and remote machines. X11 forwarding will be the slowest graphically of the three methods since all the graphical interface information has to be sent over the network to your machine.

Accessing Wheeler and requesting 2 nodes with 8 cores each

ssh -X username@wheeler.alliance.unm.edu

qsub -I -X -l nodes=1:ppn=8

NOTE:Wait until wheeler assigns you two compute nodes

Load ParaView Modules

module load paraview-5.4.1-gcc-4.8.5-python2-impi-wulnuwu

Run ParaView on a Compute Node

paraview

NOTE: When you are finished make sure to end the interactive job on the compute nodes. You can do this with the qdel command on the cluster head node.